Alaska Squadron Inactivated

The 537th Airlift Squadron, the US Air Force Active Associate C-130 unit at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, was inactivated on 11 September 2013 in a ceremony at the base in Anchorage. The inactivation was a result of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, which determined the Department of Defense budget for 2013. Inactivation, as opposed to deactivation, means the squadron could be reactivated at some point. The 537th AS was inactive for more than forty years before being activated as the Air Force's newest Total Force unit in April of 2011. The 537th AS primarily supported Army airborne training while flying aircraft assigned to the 144th Airlift Squadron, the Alaska Air National Guard parent unit.